Brake-tester.



J.F.B REN NAN.

' BRAKETESTER. APPLICATION FILED APR. 24.

- mam Apr. 30,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I LMWWW I 2 $HEl ZTSSHEET 2.

L F. BRENNAN.

BRAKE TESTER. APPLICATION F ILED APR. 24.1916;

. Patented Apr. 30,1918.

. .ronn 1r. BRENNAN, or new roan, 1i. a.

rename.

ing is a specification.

My invention relates to a brake testing appliance particularly designed for testing the brakes of an automobile, and the object of my invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive. device for this purpose which i may be readily applied either in a garage or elsewhere to determine whether or not the brakes are in proper working condition.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is aside elevation of my device" in one form applied to the wheel of an" automobile;

' Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified arrangement;

Fig. 3 is a siinilar'view showing a further modification;

I Fig. 4 is an enlarged broken section of the gage element;

Fig. 5 is aside elevation of a further 7 modification of the testing device;

Fig. 6 is a plan of the latter; I Fig. 7 is a side elevation ofa still further =modification; and

8 is a similar view of another mod1- 1 Fig. fication. v

With the increasing urban use of automobiles both for passenger and for freight carriage, the dangers resultin perfect function of the brakes, ecome'very from im-' great. It is desirable and has infact been proposed that inspectors be provided in congested districts whose dutyit should be to observe the cars and reporter "arrest those l which have defective brakes. The only means whichare at present available for testing the brakes of the carsisthe. rather crude "one of driving the car andthen applying the, brakes to determine withinawhat space the'car can be halted. This is a deficient test since the personal equation enters.

largely into the operation and theflsame-c'ar testedby difierent persons would operate in di'fierent ways. It is quiteidesirable that.

-- some standard accurate device he provided for this purpose which may be applied promptly. and easily? to a carwhich appears 'to have defective bgakes, for the purpose? of adapted to engageoneof the against-the hub 12 of the whee p Patented Apr. 30, 191

Application filed A nea, 1916. Serial m. 93,164.

determining whether or not at the time of observation itds the fault of the brakes or the 'fiault of the operator. It is particularly desirable that a portable device be provided for instant test use, since a car may behave quite differently when taken stagnant in a garage, from the manner in which it behaves after it has been driven for a while and the parts are in the condition which they thus normally assume during the operation of the In the-form shown. in Fig. 1 the present device comprises a lever 10 arched at one end 11' to rest upon the hub 12 of the wheel. 13, controlled by the brake drum 14 through the brake band 15. Mounted at asuitable point on the lever 10 is a recorder 16 of any suit 7 able construction, the operating mechanism of which is connected in any suitable way with a hook I? freeof the lever 10 and spokes 18 of the wheel. A spring 19 or other suitable yielding means of predetermined strength is operatively interposed between the hook 17 and the lever 10. In operation the end 11 of the lever 10 is rested on the wheel hub 12 as a fulcrum and the hook 17 engaged with one of the spokes 18, in the manner'shown.

After the wheel is clear of the ound and the brake 15 has been applied, 1; e free end of the lever 10 is lifted in the direction of the arrow a: tending to turn the wheeL' The power which it is necessary to-apply in order to overcome the resistance of the'brake is vice are shownbutthelever'end 11 instead of being supported upon the wheel hub bears against an independent fulcrum pedestal '20. The stem 21 upon which the end 11 of the lever rests-is adjustable in height to insurethe location of the lever endat the axis of thewheel. This pedestal would not be. necessary ordinarily except when the wheel hub in non-circular.

In the construction shown in Fig. 3 the of ,the lever, and the gage sprin' 23 bears In this modification I have shown the engagement gage 22' is mounted on the fulcrum end 11 between the lever. 10 and the wheel s oke' lit is obvious gage .22 records in precisely 3 accomplished by means of a double hoo 2%" Wheel, since the etfort'is transmitted to the spring 23 at the hub just as-it is taken by" on the hook 17 serves to compress the air in the chamber 25 and the extent of the compression of course, before the wheel slips its brake,'determines the position of the plung r-26 and thus, through the rod 27, 'controls the position of the dial hand28.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown another form more particularly applicable to heavy trucks. The wheel to be tested is run up the end incline of a supporting block 29 and positioned upon a roller-bearing plate 30 carried by the block. The testing lever 31 is piyoted at 32 to the body of the block 29 and carries the gage 33. The stem 34 of the gage is secured to the outer end of a second lever, the opposite end of which is pivotally connected at 36 to the roller plate 30. On the upward movement of the testing lever 31 its tendency is to pull the plate 30 in the direction indicated by the arrow 3 This however, is opposed by the wheel brake and the strength of the opposition is registered on he dial 33. Inorder to prevent the slip of the plate'beneath thewheel rim its surface is preferably corrugated as-at 37.

In Fig. 7 the testing lever 38 carries a shoe 39 which may be' engaged with rivet heads or the like 40 on the inner-face of the wheel rim to establish an operating connection therewith. This is v particularly valuable for wheels of the solid type which have no spokes, but which invariably have studs] of some sort projecting on the inner face of the rim. In this modificatiomthe fulcrum end of the lever comprises a fork 41 which straddles the wheel hub, while a stem 42 bears uponthe hub and actuates the sliding pointer 43 against the action of the gage spring 44 confined within the upper portion of; the cylindrical body 45 of the gage. In this construction the wheel under test is run up the incline 46 and rests upon rollers 47. This appliance, viz., 46 and 47, is preferably used with all of the testing lever-s1 j where possible, since it is an extremely simjackmay beused, if preferred, but is ordiple device for lifting the wheel out of fric-.

tional contact with the ground. Of course a narily insufliciently stable for-the purpose of such a test.

In Fig. 8 the testing lever 48 carries body 49 of the typeshown in Fig. 7 provided with a pointer 50 on the stem 51. The lever is pivoted, through the stem 51, upon a pedestal 52 rigid, with the stand 53 having double inclines'54 and supporting rollersf'55, as in the form just shown. The operative cona gage might be'bent or otherwise injured by the use of a hook such as is shown in Figs. 1 to 3.

-VVhile I have-so far mentioned the rotation of the wheel in only one direction against the action of its brake, it is obvious that the test may be made more thorough by rotating the wheel in both directions. This may be accomplished by a more reversal of the lever to the opposite side of the wheel, or by placing the fulcrum beneath instead of above the wheel hub and pressing down instead of up. The latter position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. v

It is furthermore obvious that although the invention has been described and designed by me for use in connection with automobile wheels, it may be used for testing a wagon wheel brake of any sort and perhaps other devices as well.

The constructions shown are merely illustrative embodiments of my invention and may be-variously modified without departing from what I claim as my invention.

I claim as my invention 1.- A brake tester comprising means engaging a wheel element for rotating a wheel against the action of it's brake and means associated therewith for indicating the resistance of the brake, together with means for temporarily supporting the wheel during the operation of said'brake tester.

2. A brake tester comprising portable means engaging a wheel element for rotating 9. wheel. against the action of its brake and means associated therewith for indicating the resistance of the brake, together with means for temporarily supporting the wheel during the operation of said brake tester.

3. A brake tester comprising manually operable means engaging a wheel element for rotating a wheel against the action of its brake and means associated therewith for indicating the resistance of the brake, together with means for temporarily supporting the wheel during the operation of said brake tester. '4. A brake tester comprising a testing lever for turning a wheel against the action of its brake, means associated with said lever to engage the wheel and means carried by the lever for indicating the resistance of the brake to the turning efiort exerted upon the lever, together with means for temporarily supporting the wheel during the operation of said brake tester.

5 95. A brake tester comprising a testing' the turning efiortfto indicate the resistance meagre i of thebra'ke thereto, togetherwith means r temporarily supporting the wheel during the peripheral portion of a Wheel to rotate the same, together with agage responsive to the turning efi'ort to indicate the resistanceof the brake thereto. I '8. A brake testsr comprising a lever pivoting substantially at the wheel axis means gether with a gage responsive to the turning efiort to indicate the resistance of the brake.

thereto,

9. A brake tester comprising a lever pivoting on the wheel hub, means carried thereby for engaging a peripheral portion of the "Wheel to rotatethe same, together with a gage responsive to the turning efi'ort to indicate the resistance of the'brake thereto.

A In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification'in the presence of a subscribing witness.

"JOHN F. BRENNAN. 'Witne'ssr v WALTER Amen carried thereby for engaging a peripheral portion of the wheel to rotate the same, to- 20 

